Twelve-year-old Centralia filmmaker Henry Wegener took first place for his frightening tale of dangerous produce titled "The Cursed Apple" at the 8th annual Plomondon Independent Film Festival at the Morgan Arts Centre in Toledo Saturday night.
TOLEDO - When Henry Wegener, 12, collected a "PIFFY" award Saturday for his 15-minute mystery film titled "The Cursed Apple," he brought along the namesake co-star.
Well, he didn't bring along the exact variety from the film, a red delicious.
"I just brought this one," the Centralia pre-teen said, pointing at a diminutive honeycrisp, "so the apple could sign autographs."
His lighthearted approach was a good match for the eighth annual Plomondon Independent Film Festival held Friday and Saturday at the Morgan Arts Centre just outside Toledo.
Wegener, who is homeschooled, said he was inspired by the "Goosebumps" series of books and videos to create the movie. He has been making films since he was 8 or 9 years old.
"My mom started a movie and I played all the parts, and we were bad actors," Wegener said of some of his first film efforts.
In "The Cursed Apple," Wegener and his 11-year-old brother Jacob play themselves.
Lewis County's largest annual celebration of cinema honored documentaries, feature films, musicals and, in Wegener's category, mysteries. His was the only entry in that category.
Another award-winner at the two-day festival was a documentary called "World's Largest Egg," a travelogue which relays the history of the giant-size egg landmark, first displayed in Winlock in 1923.
Will and Valerie Wittstruck of Olympia walked away with the documentary award for that egg-themed film, and won two other PIFFY awards in the advertisement and sports categories.
"Oh, my gosh, wow," Valerie Wittstruck said about their wins. "That was a very, very pleasant surprise."
The husband-and-wife team has submitted their collaborative work for four past PIFFs, taking awards in the drama and horror categories in 2008 and for their documentaries in 2009 and 2011.
The Wittstruck's first win of the evening was in the advertisement category for a three-minute film showcasing a get-away rental called Cedar Loft Cabin. Accepting the award, Will Winstruck explained that the cabin owner wrote the narrative and he shot an idea of what would work with that narration.
Two other films were submitted in the advertisement category.
"The others were great films as well," Valerie Winstruck said.
The Winstrucks were uncontested for their sports win, "Oly Roller Recap."
Telling the truth about the 1919 lynching of Nathan Wesley Everest was the theme of the 4-minute "Ghost of Hangman's Bridge" trailer submitted by film maker Ursula Richards-Coppola, who recently relocated to Lewis County.
Researching and working on the piece for the last 15 years, Richards-Coppola anticipates a 2014 film release date. Those interested in joining her efforts are encouraged to email toweravenue@gmail.com.
Winning for inspirational was a piece called "Project Showcase, Part 2" by Andy Lahmann and Matt McDaniel. Lahmann, who lives in Bellingham, was not present to collect his award. Festival co-organizer Di Morgan stepped in to say a few words about Lahmann, calling him an "up and coming filmmaker," who has participated in the Plomondon awards since the film festival's first year.
Morgan said she taught Lahmann when he was in the second grade and has known him since he was born. Lahmann created "Project Showcase" to reinvigorate Toledo after the devastating fires of 1½ years ago, she said.
The film was primarily shot during the Cheese Day Festival, depicting images of community, family, tradition, home and heart. It can be viewed online at www.projectshowcase.org.
Public viewing and voting of the films were held Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. Fourteen filmmakers submitted work with awards given in nine different categories.
Winning the PIFFY for best drama was a 10-minute film called "Don't Take the Alley" by Morgan Grobe of Bellingham. Forgetting his car keys and wallet inside a business closed for the day, Grobe's main character is followed by a homeless man who calls him homeless, since without a car he can't get to his home.
This homeless man warns him to not go down the alley. But, of course, he does and the drama unfolds.
There was one other submission for the drama category.
Stephen Floyd's musical called "Ania's Gown" was a four-minute promotional piece for a bridal shop in Portland. Floyd called his submission a "light-hearted piece" that he shot and edited. The Bollywood-like choreography and song lyrics were created by the bridal store staff.
Jordan Donovan and D.K. Reinemer, both from Bellingham, won for their 20-minute horror film called "The Risening." When this piece was filmed, neighbors called the cops. This segment of realism is included at the end of the film.
There was also only one submission for each of the following categories: musical, horror, trailer and inspirational. Each of these film makers also received a PIFFY.
The next event at the Morgan Arts Centre is the Vernal Equinox Art Fair set for March 17and 18. For further information, call 864-4ART or visit www.morganartscentre.com.
